By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Speculation is rampant in Washington that President Barack H. Obama could sign a series of Executive orders “reforming” America’s immigration laws and offering Executive amnesty and work permits for as many as six million illegal aliens already living in this country.
According to an article by “The Hill’s” Peter Sullivan on Monday, August 25, expectations are high that President Obama can move ahead with controversial Executive actions now that he has returned from his vacation. According to “The Hill” article the White House is weighing its options on immigration reform and so-called corporate “inversions,” a business maneuver companies use to reduce their tax burdens.
Next week, President Obama will leave on a trip to Estonia and Wales to discuss the deteriorating relationship between NATO and Russia. So, if Obama keeps his word on doing something about immigration before the end of the summer, then immigration advocates expect him to act in the next few days.
Sullivan wrote that Kamal Essaheb, an attorney at the National Immigration Law Center, pointed to Obama’s June remarks saying the President promised to make policy consistent with American values, and “we expect him to do that when he’s back from vacation…People are waiting every day to see if the President’s going to make an announcement.”
Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D) from Illinois predicted on Friday, that the administration would expand Pres. Obama’s 2012 deferred deportation program and would ease restrictions on businesses and farmers that import foreigh labor. Rep Gutierrez said, “I think the president’s going to take action on all those levels…He’s going to take broad, expansive action that the law allows him to take.”
Most Republicans oppose any form of Executive amnesty and the Republican controlled U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation which would make such actions explicitly illegal; but the U.S. Senate failed to act on the House legislation or deal with the crisis on America’s southern border before leaving on vacation.
Senator Jeff Sessions (R) from Alabama has been a long opponent of increasing the levels of immigration and was instrumental in organizing members of the House to pass the bill to block Executive amnesty.
According to original reporting by the “Times Daily’s” Robert Palmer, Sen. Sessions told the Shoals Chamber of Commerce, “The United States is not able to absorb every poor person in the world. We don’t have enough jobs…People want lawful immigration. People are not opposed to that, but there must be a reasonable and effective way to do it. There is lawlessness in the system — worse than you think. Unless you commit a serious felony, you are likely not to be deported. There is virtually no enforcement.”
Groups like the Tea Party Patriots are urging their members to call their U.S. Senators. The Patriots group wrote recently, “Thanks to Sen. Jeff Sessions’ (R-Ala.) efforts in Congress and your strong grassroots support, a bad immigration bill failed to pass the House but we still need your voice in the fight! H.R.5272, Rep. Marsha Blackburn’s (R-Tenn.) bill that would defund Pres. Obama’s DACA amnesty and an expanded amnesty for illegal aliens has already passed the House and needs your support to move through the Senate. Call (855) 871-8782 to reach the Capitol switch board, ask to talk to your Senators and let them know what you think! Please make sure that your Senators know that they need to take a public stand against Obama’s executive amnesty and publicly encourage Majority Leader Reid to allow Rep. Blackburn’s DACA bill to the floor for a vote!”
While most Democrats believe that increasing the number of immigrants in this country will help them politically going forward, some (particularly Red State Democrats on the ballot in November) are reportedly worried that the move may hurt their Party’s prospects in the near term.
